Communist Party of Turkey breaks blockade in Ankara: Mass marches against NATO in 6 cities

Following a call from the Communist Party of Turkey (TKP), citizens marched against NATO in Ankara, Istanbul, Izmir, Adana, Samsun, and Çanakkale. Speaking at the Istanbul march, TKP General Secretary Kemal Okuyan stated, “Just as those who threw the soldiers of the 6th Fleet into the sea here decades ago restored the honour of this country, revolutionaries all over Türkiye are doing the same,” declaring their intention to escalate the struggle against NATO. 

In Ankara, TKP marched despite the bans

In Ankara, which has been virtually turned into a prison for the NATO Summit, TKP members began their march at 5 PM.

Over 100 members of the TKP (Communist Party of Turkey) were detained in the police attack on the protest. A statement from the TKP read: “We marched in the heart of Ankara, which they tried to subdue with bans and oppression, shouting 'Imperialists, get out!' against NATO. Release our comrades who were detained while entering Kızılay immediately! In this country, protesting NATO is not a crime, it is an honour!”

Videos from the march in Ankara can be seen here.

Thousands march to Dolmabahçe in Istanbul                                                                                                              

Thousands of people gathered in front of the Taksim, the biggest centre of Istanbul, and held a mass march towards Dolmabahçe, following the same route as those who threw the US soldiers of the 6th Fleet into the sea in 1968. Citizens who gathered behind a banner that read “Leave NATO, seize the bases. Down with imperialism” were also supported by delegates of the International Anti-NATO Summit that met in Istanbul. The delegation carried the World Peace Council's banner with the slogan “Yes to Peace, No to NATO”.

During the march, slogans such as “These people will not kneel before you, will not bow down,” “Imperialists, collaborators, don't forget the 6th Fleet,” “NATO get out, this country is ours,” “Thief, murderer, genocidal Israel,” and “Seize the bases, NATO get out” were chanted.

'Thousands of communists in Ankara challenged NATO'

At the end of the march, TKP General Secretary Kemal Okuyan addressed the crowd, speaking about the TKP members who took to the streets in Ankara despite the bans and were subsequently detained.

Okuyan, who stated, “We gathered to protest the bloodthirsty, militarist, occupying, coup-plotting, and massacring organization,” continued with the following:

“For about a week, patriots, revolutionaries, and communists have been detained all over Türkiye so that NATO bigwigs can be comfortable and no one can speak out against the pro-American projects of the government.

Today, just as we promised, Ankara, the capital of Türkiye, did not remain silent against NATO and imperialists, hundreds, thousands of communists challenged NATO at 5 o'clock in the centre of Ankara, in Kızılay. Hundreds of our friends were detained.”

'Don't forget the 6th Fleet'

Recalling the action carried out by Deniz Gezmiş, then a leading figure in the youth movement, and the university students alongside him against the US 6th Fleet anchored in Dolmabahçe, Istanbul between July 15-18, 1968, Kemal Okuyan continued his statement as follows:

“Those who threw the soldiers of the 6th Fleet into the sea here decades ago, just as they raised the pride, honour, and passion for independence of this country; you, we, and the revolutionaries all over Türkiye are doing the same thing. Let no one forget this. History will never forget and will never forgive.”

‘The political parties in Parliament are completely silent’

“The political parties who gather in the Parliament of the bourgeois politics, as we refer, are completely silent. Who are we hosting? Look, the massacre in Palestine is not over yet. They were ranting and raving morning and evening. They are welcoming the planner of that massacre on red carpets. They don't know what to do. They have turned Ankara into a prison for our citizens, and they will host them in palaces. Who? The murderers of Palestine!

The massacre in Palestine continues. We don't even know where the war in Iran, the aggression against Iran, is heading. There is still a conflict there right now, they are our neighbours. And then they come and arrest a young friend of ours for 'insulting sacred values' How can we accept this?”

‘We will follow up on the decisions they made at the summit’

“We will not abandon our work with NATO today or tomorrow. We will follow up on this summit. We will follow up on the international decisions they made at this summit, and we will continue the struggle.

We will continue until this country, our beloved country, becomes an independent, sovereign, exploitation-free, and socialist country. Until that day, we will continue the struggle. The bases must be seized, NATO must get out.”

Citizens marched to the NATO base in Izmir

The location of the march in Izmir, the third-biggest city of Turkey, was Buca where there is a NATO base. The march, held in Buca with the call “On July 5th, we are marching against NATO for our country and our honour,” saw participation from patriots from all over Izmir.

Starting their march from Forbes Avenue, the people of Izmir walked to the NATO Headquarters in Şirinyer, where Senem Doruk İnam, a member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Turkey (TKP), gave a speech.

‘We will not allow them to sell this country to NATO’

Drawing attention to the detainments and arrests carried out in many parts of the country during the NATO Summit Week, İnam said, “Even though they are trying to illegally prevent us from raising our voices in some provinces, we are not bowing down. We will not allow them to sell this country to a bloody terrorist organization as easy as if it were a rose garden without thorns.”

İnam emphasized that the struggle against NATO and the NATO Summit is not only a political issue but also a matter of honour and dignity, recalling the controversial measures taken in Ankara before the summit.

‘They trampled on our independence and sovereignty’

İnam stated:

“NATO is the representative of the capitalist class, the bosses, the religious sects, the exploitative bandits who are dragging our country into darkness. It is their armed force. They have implemented all kinds of evil in our country through NATO. They pointed those weapons at our intellectuals, our youth, our working people. They committed murders, massacres, and coups. They have been enemies of the Republic we established from the beginning, and they have done everything in their power to eliminate the Republic. They trampled on our independence and sovereignty.

The AKP government is a significant and culpable actor in perpetuating NATO's darkness in our country and the region. But today, all political actors in the mainstream politics who, far from opposing NATO, claim to value NATO and its summit, and declare that the outcomes of that summit will benefit our country, are at least as guilty as the AKP government.”

'We are defending our country and our honour'

We will not bow to the arrogant, collaborationist government, nor to the occupying, murderous NATO. We are defending our country and our honour. We will ensure the organization of the people to ensure Turkey's withdrawal from NATO, the end of NATO's presence in our country, and the thwarting of the Neo-Ottomanist war policies that Turkey is being forced into. We will disrupt this game.

This struggle is not new. But we promise to strengthen this struggle even more, to liberate our country from these barbarians and exploiters. We promise to create a country and a world where humanity, goodness, equality, freedom, and independence prevail.”

“Yankee go home” slogans chanted in Samsun

Following a call from the Samsun Organization of the Communist Party of Turkey (TKP), Samsun residents gathered and marched chanting slogans.

TKP Samsun Provincial President Tolga Kaan Ateşli stated that “NATO is not an organization that ensures Türkiye's security, but rather an imperialist organization that renders Türkiye defenseless,” adding that all foreign bases in the country should be seized, foreign soldiers expelled, and that NATO is a threat to Turkey.

Citizens took to the streets in Çanakkale and Adana

In Çanakkale, members and supporters of the Turkish Communist Party (TKP), along with representatives of various unions and professional organizations, gathered in front of the Trojan Horse statue against NATO and marched in a procession to the Clock Tower.

The march, which featured a banner reading "We are marching for our country and our honour against NATO," ended after a speech by Savaş Sarı, a member of the TKP Central Committee.

In Adana, citizens gathered and began their march with a banner reading "We are marching for our country and our honour" chanted slogans such as "NATO Get Out, This Country is Ours."

TKP: We are closely monitoring the condition of our injured and detained comrades

The TKP released a statement on the attack in Ankara, which read as follows:

"In Ankara, seven of our comrades suffered severe head injuries, some sustained fractures in their arms and rib cages, and one comrade underwent angiography due to suspected heart attack, following police violence against TKP members protesting NATO for an 'Independent Turkey'.

We are closely monitoring the condition of our injured and detained comrades. The detainees must be released immediately!"